Asked & Answered

Accessing Government Phone Records Q: I am researching a public records request.  It is my understanding, post Prop 59, that the public paid for cell phone and desk phone records of elected officials are available for review by citizens/news organizations, etc. and that privilege can not be invoked by a municipality or local government to redact the incoming and outgoing phone numbers from those records.  Is that correct?  If so – where has this been

Accessing Closed Court Records: Authoring Book Q: I am an author working on a book on the history of “phone phreaking.”   (Phone phreaks were people who played with the telephone system — you can think of them as the precursors to today’s computer hackers.)  I am attempting to obtain a copy of a civil suit and supporting materials filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in 1975. I recently wrote to the clerk of the court

Police Call and Arrest Logs Q: What part of the Police call and/or arrest logs are publicly accessible under the PRA? Can only the victim see the arrest log? Can the name of the arrestee or callee be given to the public? If a City website keeps the call logs on the City web site for 7 days, and they fall off, does that mean they are no longer accessible? How long must these records

Blocking Personal Information from Public View for Safety Q: How do I block access to my personal and government records from public because I am a victim of domestic violence and stalking and kidnapping? Does it require a court order to block my ssn record and tax and any other record pertaining to my personal information. A: If the disclosure of personal information about you would jeopardize your safety, that would likely be grounds for